2014 José Marín Plazuelo "Negra" SP/IN

This 2014 José Marín Plazuelo “Negra” is a flamenco guitar with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made in Granada, Spain, by the nephew of Antonio Marín Montero.

A Plazuelo Flamenco Negra from Granada

Plazuelo’s guitars are some of the most beautifully constructed guitars in Spain, and this one is no exception. The wood selection, workmanship and finish are superb. The aesthetics are pure elegance. Playability, neck and fretwork are top class, and the action is perfect.

Sound: Solo Flamenco and Beyond

Volume and response are huge, and the voice, while well suited to solo flamenco play, could easily cross over to Spanish and Latin classical works, or even Brazilian bossa. The sound is huge, open and well-aged, with a particularly big bottom end and a brilliant, bitey attack in all registers. It is very lightweight, especially for this luthier, and feels and sounds more like a mid-century flamenco than a guitar built in 2014.

Condition

It is in excellent condition, with no prior damage or repairs – only some very minor wear in the finish – and the frets are in great shape. Overall, a fantastic example from this legendary builder in every way.

Orfeo Magazine #8 – The Granada School

José Marín Plazuelo: Nephew of Antonio Marín Montero

José Marín Plazuelo was born in Granada on June 13, 1960. He is the nephew of Antonio Marín Montero. In 1974, when he was just 14 years old, he started working alongside his uncle, where he and José González López learned how to build instruments. From the very beginning, José’s uncle praised his nephew’s work.

Traditional Spanish Guitars from Granada

José follows Antonio Marín’s technique and makes his guitars in the traditional Spanish way. For fifty years he made his own guitars in the Marín family workshop, beside his uncle, one of the most prestigious luthiers in the world. When Antonio retired in 2024 and closed the workshop, José and José González López moved to the center of Granada, where they now work out of Callejón Molino de San Martín 14.

José’s classical guitars are mainly inspired by the experience acquired from his uncle, while his flamenco guitars are similar to those of Francisco Simplicio (1874–1932), the legendary guitar maker from Catalonia. In 2017 José sat on the jury of the first Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition in Granada, the contest that carries his uncle’s name.